What’s he hiding?

For the third year in a row, Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have made it easier for reporters to interview prison inmates. His reason: “I do not believe violent criminals should be able to traumatize their victims a second time by having unfettered access to the media.”

Thus he twists a bill to help reporters into a boon for criminals. Just as bad, Schwarzenegger ignores the reason journalists want greater access to prisons—and why legislators overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 1521, by Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles). They want to learn more about the tremendous problems the prisons face.

The California prison system is in a state of disaster. Many of its facilities are horrifically overcrowded, recidivism rates are high, and its health care services are so bad that a federal judge has put them in receivership.

The prisons need more light shone upon them, not less. Since his veto, Schwarzenegger has ordered the Department of Corrections to issue new regulations allowing greater media access but restricting access to certain violent criminals. That’s a small step forward, but Romero’s bill was much better.